The present invention relates to a component lead wire cutting equipment for use with an electric component inserting apparatus which is adapted to automatically insert components, each having its lead wires extending in the same direction, i.e., various electric components of different shapes such as a ceramic condenser, an electrolytic condenser, a vertical resistor or the like, into given holes of a circuit board after cutting extra portions of the lead wires and shaping the remaining end portions of the cut lead wires.
In an automatic inserting apparatus for inserting, into given holes provided in a circuit board, separated electric components, the electric components P being cut off at their lead wires L to cut off the electric components of the above-described types from a tape T with the electric components retained thereon, a process for forming the lead wires L to the same pitch as the given pitch of the holes in the circuit board N is required as a pre-stage before the subsequent stage where the lead wires of the component are inserted into the circuit board. Accordingly, the lead wires L of the electric component P to be fed with the lead wire L thereof being loose after being cutting off from the tape T are required to be once expanded and then to be narrowed to a given pitch again from the expanded condition so that the pitch of the lead wires may be corrected.
In such electric component inserting apparatus, as the convex cutting edge 101 of the cutting equipment W is adapted to spread the lead wires L during the cutting-off operation of such component P1 as shown in FIG. 11, the body of which is not symmetrical, such as a vertical resistor or the like, the lead wire L is bent at its center point C as a pivot point for the spreading. Thus, the body of the component P1 is inclined at an angle .theta. with respect to the original condition of the lead wire as shown in FIG. 2 at the time of cutting off from the tape T so that it cannot enter the groove portion 103 of a chuck lever of a mounting equipment 102 at a subsequent process, thus making the chucking operation unstable. Also, when a component P2 whose body diameter is small as shown in FIG. 14 is cut off, the convex cutting edge 101 is also adapted to spread the lead wires L while applying unnecessary force to the root portions L5 of the lead wires, thus resulting in making cracks of the coating provided on the body and lead wires as shown in FIG. 15.